Celtics fall behind early, fail to come back, losing 130 – 124 to Heat at TD Garden
The Boston Celtics dropped yet another key game as the Eastern Conference’s postseason picture gets tighter, falling at TD Garden to the Miami Heat 130 – 124 after the Celtics fell behind big early in what has become a familiar story for Boston fans.
The loss of big man Robert Williams III at the half and the absence of All-Star forward Jaylen Brown had already stacked the odds against the Celtics facing a surging, mostly-healthy heat, and sloppy defense and costly mistakes in the first half dug Boston a 26-point hole from which it wasn’t able to dig out of in its usual second-half comeback attempt.
Both teams shot above 50% from the field in this contest, but Miami started out scorching hot from beyond the arc, and the Celtics hit on just 36.8% of their 3s compared to the Heat’s 45.7% success rate.
Boston’s postseason picture has been downgraded after the loss to the Chicago Bulls on Friday. https://t.co/k270ApJrtR
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) May 9, 2021
Boston was led by 30 points and 8 assists from veteran guard Evan Fournier, his high to date with the Celtics, with forward Jayson Tatum adding 29 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Rookie forward Aaron Nesmith chipped in 16 points off of the bench, tying his career high.
The Celtics now fall to 35 – 33 on the season and seventh in the East ahead of a Tuesday home rematch with the Heat.
This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!
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